Endometriosis related to other health issues

Endometriosis may be related to other health issues


You may be aware of the research and findings about other health problems in women with endometriosis. It appears that women with endometriosis are much more likely to suffer from other serious health problems. 


There are other symptoms with endometriosis which most women have to deal with (like bowel problems, insomnia, low grade infections etc).  These symptoms seem to relate directly to the diseased state of endometriosis. 


But these other serious health issues we are starting to hear about are not directly related, they are separate diseases.   This seems to strengthen the case that endometriosis is another immune system deficiency.


Here are some of the findings from data collected from the world’s largest research registry on endometriosis.

  • Women with endometriosis and their families have a heightened risk of breast cancer, melanoma and ovarian cancer
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome is more than 100 times more common in women with endometriosis
  • There is a high rate of thyroid disorders in women with endometriosis, as well as their families.  Hypothyroidism, which involves an under active thyroid and causes mental and physical slowing, is seven times more common
  • Other autoimmune diseases which are seen significantly in women with endometriosis and their families, include Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Meniere’s disease
  • Fibromyalgia, which is characterised by widespread body pain and tiredness, is twice as common
  • Allergic conditions are much higher, occurring in approximately 60 percent of women with endometriosis

Why is it that these other diseases are also becoming more common in the families of women with endometriosis?  None of these diseases or disorders can be caught, and then passed onto another member of the family. 


So are these statistics related to geographic location, where the environment these women and their families are living is much more toxic, and having an effect on the immune system of the entire family. 


This situation seems somewhat plausible. It has been cited that the risk of endometriosis is increased when there is a genetic auto-immune dysfunction in the family.  This could explain the ‘rash’ of illnesses within one family.


In the past endometriosis has been viewed in isolation, as a singular diseased state of the individual, and not been put into context to include the other health problems women face with this disease. 


It has not been put into context of the environment where these women live.  It has not been viewed to include the health issues of her family.  But now this is finally being done, a bigger and more complex picture is beginning to emerge.


From Healthline 

Hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis are all autoimmune conditions. These conditions have been linked to higher occurrence rates in women with endometriosis. Inflammation plays a role in the pain and other symptoms associated with these conditions, as it does with endometriosis. 


Looking at some of the other health crises and diseases that are cropping up it almost looks as though the disease of endometriosis is acting as a warning flag and providing strong signals that the health of the general populace is at risk as well.  We only have to look at the statistics of the number of increasing cases of endometriosis, and the fact that it is rising sharply in the industrialised world.




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References:

Webmd - endometriosis linked to other diseases

Healthline - is endometriosis and auto-immune disease

https://academic.oup.com/humupd/article/25/4/486/5518352

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31260048

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/442245




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